Thomas l



(No Model.)

T. LJSANGOMB. Toy Horse and other Toy Quadrupeds.

No. 237,705. Patented Feb. 15,1881.

fl b'ziz ass as [22 vs nton' flaw. 4 WA I M MAM awe M NITED STATES THOMAS L. SANGOMB,'OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALEXIS OOQUILLARD, OF SAME PLACE.

TOY HORSE AND OTHER TOY QUADRUPEDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 237,705, dated February 15, 1881.

Application filed August 6, 1880. (No model.)

To all. whom it may concern Be itknown that 1, THOMAS L. SANOOMB, acitizen of the United States, residing at South Bend, in the county of St. Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Toy Horses and other Toy Quadrupeds, of which the following is a specification.

The nature of my invention consists- First, in the combination of a toy horse or other toy quadruped, a platform, afour-throw crank-axle, supporting; and propelling wheels, and suitable connecting rods or links and pitmen, whereby the forward part of the horse is made to rise in a manner similar to a living horse in aloping position, and to descend; and also each of the legs of the horse is caused,

during the bodily movements mentioned, to,

move on joints in a manner closely resembling the movements of the legs of a living horse,

the movements of the respective legs beingindependent of one another. Second, in providing the connecting rods or links of the front legs of the horse with elongated loops, in which the crank-arms of the crank-axle are fitted and allowed a certain amount of'free movement when a leg of the horse is down upon the platform, such movementoccurrin gwithoutdisturbing the moment- 0 ary rest of the horses leg when down. This construction renders the movements of the toy horse very natural, it permitting either of the front feet to remain momentarily at rest upon the platform while a fellow front foot is being 5 lifted.

Third, in a toy horse or other toy quadruped mounted and articulating near its hips upon a rod or wire extended up from the wheeled platform, and connected by its front and back 0 legs to a four-throw crank-axle by rods or links and pitmen, which are permitted to follow the movements of the crank-axle by slots in the platform, said slots acting as guides to the links or rods while the horse is moving and his legs articulating on joints.

Fourth, in a toy horse having front legs which are jointed at the shoulders and knees, and hind legs which are jointed at the hips, in combination with a slotted platform, supportingwheels, a four-throw crank-axle, conmeeting rods or links and pitmen, and a wire rod,upon which the horse is mounted,near its hips, upon the platform, two of said rods being provided with elongated loops, all as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved toy horse as it appears in a loping position, one of the supporting and propelling wheels and bearings of the axle being removed and their positions indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a broken longitudinal section of the same, showing simply a part of the horse and the rod upon which it is mounted upon the platform and on which. it tilts. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan View.

A designates a toy horse or other toy quadruped. The front legs, a, of the horse are, respectively, jointed to the body at b, and between thesejoints and the feet of the said legs a knee-joint, c, is formed in each leg. The hind legs, 00, are stiff at the knees, but they are respectively jointed at d to the body of the horse.

B is a platform for supporting the horse, and e a wire rod extending up from the rear of the platform and entering a longitudinal kerf or slot, f, and socket f, out in the belly portion of the body of the horse, as shown in Fig. 2. The horse, thus mounted upon the platform, is free to have its head and forward body portion tilted up and down forward of the wire 6. The platform is provided with a central supporting-wheel, g, and two propelling and supporting wheels, h h, which latter are made fast on an aXle, O, hung in bearings of the platform, and having four crank-bends,

m m m m, between the ends which enter the centers of the wheels.

The front legs, a, of the horse are connected to the arms of the crank-bends m m by means 0 of rods or links it a,'which are formed with elongated loops at n at their lower ends, said loops receiving into them the arms of the crank-bends m m, as shown. The other ends of the rods or links are inserted firmly into the bottom of 5 the feet of the horse.

The hind legs, a, of the horse are provided with extension-bars a a, and by means of these bars or links and pitmen-rods q q, are connected to the arms formed by the crankbends m m, as shown.

The rods or links a n and a a pass through longitudinal slots 1' cut through the platform B, and thus, while they are free to move back and forth, they are guided in such movements by the sides of the slots.

The connecting-rods are formed with an angular bend, s, in order to connect them with the hind legs of the horse, and still pull up n the same in straight lines.

It will be apparent, from the foregoing description and accompanying drawings, that the revolution of the wheels h It will cause the fourthrow crank-axle to revolve, and that said axle will, in its movements, cause the body of the horse to assume a pacing, trotting, or loping position, and also cause the respective legs of the horse to assume positions very similar to those which a living horse would assume in trotting, loping, pacing, or in raising and lowering his feet while in motion.

1 am aware that it has been proposed to produce a galloping movement of a toy horse by placing a horse on a carriage or vehicle and combining it with two shafts having cranks. My invention ditfers from such proposed contrivance in having but a single shaft with four crank-bends, and in having the frontlegs of the horse jointed at the knees and pivoted at the shoulders, and in having the hind legs of the horse stiff at the knees and pivoted at the hips, and in connecting the front and hind legs of the horse to the one driving crankshaft, and in having the connections for the front legs formed with elongated loops, whereby the front legs are permitted to make a very natural movement, as set forth, and in adapting the platform of the carriage to the connecting devices.

Vhat 1 claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a toy horse or other toy quadruped, a platform, a four-throw crankaXle, supporting and propelling wheels, and suitable connecting devices, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of the crank-axle, the connecting-rods, having elongated connectingloops, and the front legs of the horse, having joints at the shoulders and knees, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. A toy horse or other quadruped mounted and articulating upon a rod or wire, and connected by its front and hind legs to a fourthrow crank-axle by means of rods or links and pitmen, the former of which are guided and permitted to follow the movements of the crank-arms by slots in the platform, substantially as described.

4. A toy horse having front legs which are jointed at the shoulders and knees of the horse, and hind legs which arejointed to the hips of the horse, in combination with a slotted plat form, supporting-wheels, a four-throw crankaxle, pitmen, connecting rods or links, two of which are formed with elongated connectingloops, and a wire, upon which the horse is mounted, near its hips, upon the platform, and on which it tilts, substantially as described.

THOMAS L. SANCOMB.

Witnesses:

J. L. SANooMB, \V. J. HOLLOWAY. 

